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    Año Nuevo State Park

    4.6 (193 reviews)
    Open 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

    Año Nuevo State Park Photos

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    Año Nuevo State Park
    John D.

    Deep New Sea ±4.2k-acre state park and beach, that's located almost equidistant from Half Moon Bay (±32min drive) to the north and Santa Cruz (±26min drive) to the south. It is probably the preeminent place*** to see a pinniped rookery (i.e., elephant seals) in the state, as they accumulate here by the thousands** every winter to breed. The Good: *Tours available to get you as close as possible to the Elephant Seals and are REQUIRED btwn mid-Dec to the end of March. *April to early December you can visit the park without a reservation but the number of elephant seals will be drastically reduced and certain areas will be off‐limits without a docent. *We've done the tour here around three times and the docents are always fantastic and full of great info. *Nice visitor and marine education center you check into at the beginning of the tour with restrooms, displays, and some CA park swag to purchase. *Even if you're not here for the elephant seals, the ocean views are worth the drive alone in the off-season. *Picnic tables by the VC *Trails are a nice gentle four-mile round-trip The Meh: *No dogs allowed *No bikes *$10 entrance fee *Tickets are $10.99/adults ($7 + $3.99 processing fee) and nonrefundable *The area around Año Nuevo is very desolate, and there's not much around in terms of food, so bring a snack or picnic lunch with you so you're not starving by the end of the three hour tour. A three hour tour... The Ugly: *You'll definitely need to plan well in advance if you want to have a weekend tour during the breeding season. Don't think you can just book one the week of--you pretty much need to book in October when they release the tickets for sale, even as far away as March! Weekday availability is pretty good throughout the year, though, for obvious reasons. Conclusion: Fantastic place to get your learn on, enjoy some nature, and get in a few steps while you're at it. **Some years there could be up-to 10k elephant seals! ***Also, check out the Elephant Seal Vista Point in San Simeon (near Hearst Castle)

    Teresa G.

    We had a wonderful time on a Sunday morning! Although we did not get a reservation for the Elephant Seal Guided Walk, we had a nice hike and visit. There was ample parking for a minimal fee. We browsed the exhibit and bookstore at the Marine Education Center. Cove Beach was a short walk. The surroundings were clean and well-maintained. The park staff were very welcoming and kind. We will try to sign up for the guided walk next time.

    Rosey G.

    Beautiful hike about 3.5-4 miles round trip. The state park barely has any cellphone signal, but the staffs worked there are extremely helpful and enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge. For those who don't know: One of the largest mainland breeding colonies in the world for the northern elephant seal is at Año Nuevo State Park. Their molting season is between April 1st to August 31st. The process can be a bit painful. Rule of thumb, please stay at least 100 feet away from all marine mammals. Also wear comfortable shoes as you will need to walk through a sand dune. Last but not least, please preserve our beautiful nature. Zip your food and eat them strictly at the picnic area. Don't leave any trash behind.

    Watch out
    Jim R.

    This place is somewhat of a hidden gem - located along the coast off HWY 1, it was a convenient stop off on our way back to The City from Carmel via the "scenic route." The star attraction of this bucolic spot are its elephant seals. For whatever reason, they've chose this spot as their base for giving birth (Jan/Feb) and molting (fall) and mating before heading back out to sea. We stopped by in mid July and there were around 50 bachelor males sparing in the shallow protected cove or lounging on the beach. But come late fall, there are several thousand. How it works: -pay $10 to enter/park your car -there are several viewpoints out along the beach -the trail Is mostly crushed rock/sand-but you do have to go up and over one large sand dune so you will get sand in your shoes -it takes a total of around 45 min-1 hours to walk out to the viewpoints and a similar amount coming back -expect to spend 2-3 hours -you have to stop into the visitors center inside the big while barn to get a (free) wildlife permit (aka map) in order to go out to thecwater viewpoints -during busy season, advanced reservations are required and visits to see the seals are done only via guided tour (for safety reasons) If you are anywhere nearby this is an amazing sight whether just a few or thousands of these mammoth creatures.

    Elyse W.

    I had such a magical visit to Año Nuevo! I booked a tour to see the elephant seals and it did not disappoint. The etrance fee is $10 (credit cards accepted). There was plenty of parking, restrooms, and a water fountain. Out on the trails, there was only a port-a-potty. My tour was early January. Dress warmly - the coast is cold and windy. And wear comfortable walking shoes - we hiked for 2+ miles out through the dunes. I recommend bringing binoculars to view the seals, as well as the fun variety of birds. I loved our tour guide Sarah - she was enthusiastic and I learned a lot from her. Such a unique winter day trip for nature lovers!

    Elephant Seal Viewing Area - South Point
    Dong Wook C.

    4.5 stars. Nice hike. Wonderful secluded beach with a few surfers. Several viewing points for elephant seals. Bathrooms located at the parking lot and another one that's located a short walk from the staging area. Docents are stationed at various viewing points to provide you information regarding the area. $10 parking fee but you will also need to obtain a permit to continue on to the elephant seal viewing areas. The permit is free. We got ours at the staging area. Great place to view wildlife and practice walking on sand. Some areas are muddy so wear appropriate shoes.

    Dana A.

    I can't say enough about my tour today at Ano Nuevo! I have been wanting to do this for so long and it was great! The docent was so knowledgeable, and answered everybody's questions, and was so friendly and sweet. I recommend this to all families I think kids would love this. If you have somebody who maybe can't do the little hike, they can also go via shuttle.. We had a really great weather today so it made it even better but please just go do this because you will not regret!

    Kashyap J.

    It was the perfect day to be out and about. Grab your set of binoculars and head out to the coastline. You will spot all kind of wild life. It was a good walk in bright sun. There is still buy of mud on the way to Brighton beach so wear correct gear. You can stop at white barn and trick up free permit to enjoy viewing elephant seal pups lying on the shores. Definitely worth going!

    Susan S.

    Beautiful park and an amazing way to see 100s if not thousands of elephant seals up close. Definitely plan your trip between December and March during mating season. I've heard tours book up months in advance, but I found mid-week availability only a few weeks away. And you have to book a tour to get to the trail to see the elephant seals. Tours are cheap--I think only about $8 a person. You can book them through the state park site. Walking tours take about 2 1/2-3 hours. They're not strenuous, but they are long and no eating or drinking (except water) is allowed. Definitely wear sunscreen, take a sun hat, and bring layers. Also, use the bathroom beforehand. We brought our 6 and 3 year olds--my six year old is a nature fanatic and can recite about 100 facts off the tip of her tongue about elephant seals or pretty much any other species you can think of. She was the inspiration for our trip. But, note to parents: the walk is definitely not too tough for young kids, but they might not have the patience. And that's a long time to go without snacks. My kids dropped to the ground at every opportunity to play in the sand, which made us wonder if we should have just gone to China camp beach a few minutes down the road. But the other tour goers were nice retirees and didn't mind the distraction. All in all, while the tour challenged our kids' attention span, it was worth it.

    Katie R.

    Such a beautiful and well kept state park! I visited here for the 2nd time that I could remember (excluding going as a child) in November, on what was the most spectacular day, and basically had the park to ourselves! When we arrived at the kiosk the park ranger asked if we were there to see the elephant seals and then provided us with a permit that included a map. She gave directions on how to get to the seals from the parking lot and then we were off. As with most state parks there is a $10 entrance fee, but we have a stat park pass so it was free. Parking lot is pretty large, since it's a stat park they will not let you in once it's full. Typically it will be one car in one car out at that point. There were both restrooms and port-o-potties available before you headed out on the trail. The trail starts as a gravel path and eventually turns into a boardwalk, then to sand dunes, then back into a boardwalk. When we went the second viewing area was closed due to flooding, so we were only able to stop at the first. I believe there are more dunes on the way to the second. The scenery and views at the park are beautiful. You start surrounded by meadow/grass lands, then reach the point where the ocean is on you left with meadow on the right, soon you are greeted by a pond, that might just be filled with pelicans if you're lucky! Past the pond you go up a short hill and eventually reach another park ranger station. Here they have a display of different animal skulls and some elephant seal fur. The park rangers here are very knowledgeable and helpful in answering any questions you may have about the park or the wildlife. From here, if you have a permit to go see the elephant seals you continue until you reach the viewing platform. Here there are volunteer docents that are available to answer any questions and help point out the wildlife. When we went it wasn't peak season so there were only about 30 elephant seals off in the distance. They do have some big binoculars set up so we were still able to view the seals. The park does close for periods of time during the year so be sure to check that they are open before making the trek out there. It is also important to note that during peak season you are required to have a reservation and there is an additional per person fee along with the parking fee.

    Lucy Y.

    One of my fav hiking spots in the Bay Area! No admission fee and there's a parking lot with plenty of parking. Love this spot as you get the chance to see all the lazy elephant seals lounging or occasionally play fight around. The hike was on fairly flat grounds with some areas of sand to get to the different lookout points. Took about two hours round trip to reach all the different lookout points. I also liked how there were different rangers stationed at the lookout points who were very informative. Highly recommend this hike!

    One of the lookouts
    Byron B.

    What an amazing spot to go see awesome wildlife and learn about the coast of California . I would def go and bring the kids. The best time to see activity is in the winter with a guided tour or after April when you can go by yourself. Seeing the animals was so cool. Dress warm, bring a change of clothes and be prepared to walk a pretty good distance

    Elephant seals are among the most studied animals in the world because they consistently return to the same California beaches every year.

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    Fantastic docent led tour. Saw so many elephant seals. Was not expecting to see them as close as we did. Must do!

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    Review Highlights - Año Nuevo State Park

    $10 parking fee but you will also need to obtain a permit to continue on to the elephant seal viewing areas.

    Mentioned in 33 reviews

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    A windy and dark cloudy day on the memorial weekend
    A windy and dark cloudy day on the memorial weekend
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    Año Nuevo State Park - beaches - Updated August 2026

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